The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1887-01-28
GRAVES OF THE MOuND-BUiLDkRs
OPENED.


Professor Putnam, who is invest'gat-
ing the ancient mounds in the valley Of
the Little Miami, in Ohio, contributes a
remark able chapter to the history OF
archaeology in q recent letter to the fea-
body Museum at Boston, under whose
auspices the interesting work is going on.
His latest excavations have disclosed ex-
tepsiye earth works, which were appar'
emily used as buryipg ground only Tor
the most distinguished dead OF the primi.
tive race which constructed them. The
probability that this theory is the correct
one is based upon the fact that IN many
of the basins in the affairs, which were
apparently built for the purpose OF Gre
mating the dead, was found an immense
number of ornaments of various kinds,
particularly of copper, pearls, shell-oeads
and numerous little fingers in terra-cotta
resembling men and women. These
seem to indicate that the burial OF the
0eau Dy tHis chgluCS iaSO was
panied by imposing ceremonials. and IN
dicatsd degree OF civilization and wealth
that has heretofore not been suspected.
The existence Of the affairs led to the
supposition that they practced crema-
tion to certain extent, but as the oper-
alton took place in the open air, it would
be impossible to reduce the whole body
to ashes. The calcined bones would be
left, and these could not be reduced to
ashes without burning them over and
,ovsr again. The hunt for the remains
then began, and the search was finally
rewarded by the discovery Of grave
yard. One after another skeletons were
uuearthed, and at the date of his letter
he had uncovered eighteen graves. in
many OF which the skeletons were found
to be perfect in form. even to the toe
and finger joints.
The FIRST question to be solved was
whether these graves had any connection
with the people who built the mounds.
The first excavation showed that they
had, for number of copper and she'll
ornaments similar to those found in the
altars aud inches in the mounds were
discovered. BY the side of the skeleton
was found also small heap Of fragments
of burned bones and charcoal, which
clearly showed what disposition had
been made OF the cremated bodies.
What the, ceremonies were that were
connected with the burials there is no
means Of Judging, but it is certainly very
suggestive to find in the grave of per.
son who was buried 10 his natural condi.
tion the bones and fragments of an ncin.
Grated corpse, or perhaps of several.
A popularity of these graves is that
they are all comparatively shallow. The
character OF the soil, however, would
perhaps account for this. The surface
consists of layer OF soft loamy soil,
overlaying a stratum of clay eight to ten |,
inches thick. Beneath this there is |
bed of coarse gravel, which is firmly |
cemented together by the large quantity |
Of iron which it contains. The graves
are no. dug deeper than foot in the |
layer of gravel. They are built of
smooth stones, so arranged as to form a
sort of rectangular cavity. in which the
body is laid. The space around the body
had then apparently been filled up with
gravel and another layer OF stones placed
IN top. The deeper the grave the better
the skeleton was preserved. There was
,othipg peculiar about the remains them.